PALM BAY, FL. (THECOUNT) — Bellamy Dawkins-Morris, 5, died Wednesday after a 120-pound video display board fell on him at Riviera Elementary School in Palm Bay, Brevard County, Florida, about 175 miles north of Miami.
The incident occurred shortly before noon, when the large Promethean brand display board fell and seriously injured Bellamy. School staff immediately called 911 and began emergency lifesaving measures before the boy was transported to Holmes Regional Medical Center, where he later died.
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Palm Bay Police Deputy Chief Nicholas Szczepanski said the department’s Special Victims Unit and Major Case Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“On the surface, this appears to be a tragic accident,” Szczepanski said, while noting that investigators were actively working to determine exactly what happened.
Neither Palm Bay police nor Brevard Public Schools has publicly established how the display board came down. Bellamy’s family, however, told local media that they were informed he had been moving the board back and forth before it tipped over and fell on him.
Bellamy’s great-aunt, Miriam Rodriguez, said the family expected him to be safe at school and is demanding answers about what happened.
“We’re expecting him to be safe. He didn’t return to us,” Rodriguez said. “My emotions, my sadness has subsided, and I am angry. We need answers, and we need them immediately.”
Rodriguez and other family members have questioned whether the display board was properly secured and whether adequate supervision was provided at the time of the accident.
Dr. Mark Rendell, superintendent of Brevard Public Schools, described the loss as an “incredibly difficult day” for the school community and said he met with Bellamy’s family following his death.
“We lost a life today, a precious young life, and there are no words to describe that loss,” Rendell said.
The school district said counseling and additional support services would be made available to students and staff following the tragedy. Investigators are continuing to examine how the display board fell and whether any additional circumstances contributed to the boy’s death.
Riviera Elementary School is located in Palm Bay, a Brevard County community on Florida’s central Atlantic coast within the Melbourne-Palm Bay-Titusville metropolitan area.
View Riviera Elementary School on Google Maps
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